Devices for perforating cans



June 26, 1962 y R. BARLOW 3,040,429

' DEVICES FOR PERFORATING CANS Filed Jan. 18, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 11 I 23 6mm 1 i1 Inventor ROBERT 5A RL 0 W ZWEE M Attorneys June 26, 1962 R. BARLOW 3,040,429

DEVICES FOR PERFORATING CANS Filed Jan. 18, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor ROBERT BARLOW Attorney 5 June 26 1962 BARLQW 3,040,429

DEVICES FOR PERFORATING CANS Filed Jan 18, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Invenlor ROBERT BARLOM/ AltorneyS company Filed Jan. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 3,152 Claims priority,

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 30-8) This invention relates toa device for perforating cans containing a fluid such, for example, as beer, a soft drink, or condensed milk, which can be poured from the can when an end thereof is punctured.

As is well understood puncturing of cans from which the contents are to be poured is usually effected by a piercing tool suchas the pointed end of a can opener, or other suitable pointed instrument, and when puncturing a can by the use of any of these commonly used tools it is necessary to use both hands to effect puncturing of the can. The use of both hands for the purpose of effecting puncturing of a can is frequently a disadvantage, particularly when the operator has to serve the contents into a glass, as the usual practice necessitates that the glass cannot be held ready to receive the contents of the can after the can has been punctured. It is. a main object of the present invention to provide a device for perforating or puncturing acan, which device can be operated by the use of one hand only, thereby leaving the other hand of the operator free to hold a glass ready to receive the con tents of the container on perforation or puncturing thereof.

According to the present invention a device for perforating an end of a can to permit the contents to be poured therefrom comprises a piercing element carried by a bracket arranged forattachment to a support for the device, and a can-receiving member arranged to be engaged with the underside of an end seam of a can to locate the can for rocking movement with said member about'the axes of pivots connecting said member with the bracket and into engagement with thepiercing element in a manner such that the can end is punctured by the piercing element.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, two embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 7

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view of a device according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a pictorial view of a can-receiving element embodied in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a section on line IIIIII, FIGURE 2,

application Great Britain Jan. 21, 1959 States Pater 3,94%,429 Patented June 26, 1962 receiving member 8. At a position mid-way between the wings 4, a piercing element 9 is secured to the base portion 1, as byscrews 10, the screws passing through a slot 11 in the base portion to permit the position of the piercing element 9 to be adjusted relative to the common axis of the journal screws 6.

The piercing element 9 has three sloping faces FIG. 4 of which two, 14, 15, converge to form an edge 12 which extends lengthwise of the element, and the third face 16 is of triangular shape with the apex 13 thereof co-incident with the outer end of the edge 12. The piercing element as just described is so shaped asto form, as can be seen from FIGURE 6, a substantially triangular-shaped puncture 17 by forcing into a can portions 18 from each of the sides of the puncture. The shape of the puncture is roughly that of an equi-lateral triangle the base of which is located in close proximity with the rim of the can while the apex is located at about the centre of the can end. Thus, it will be seen that by the use of the piercing element 9 there is formed in the can end a wide puncture which permits the contents of the can to be freely and quickly poured therefrom.

The can-receiving member 8 is a member of U-shape with limbs 19.which are of L-section to provide stepped inner faces 20 on which the underside 21 of the end than the diameterof the can so that when the underside I 21 of the end seam of the can is rested on the stepped faces 20 or on the lower face of the groove 23 which is formed in continuation thereof, the can can be easily slid into and out of the can-receiving member 8.

The can-receiving member 3 is biased to the can-receiving position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 1 and in the construction of the device as illustrated in the drawing, biasing of member 8 iseifected by weights 25 which are adjacent to the free ends of the limbs 19. As illustrated in the drawings, the weights 25 are integral with the limbs 19.

When it is desired to effect opening of a can, the underside 21 of one end seam 22 thereof is rested on the FIGURE 4 is an underneath plan of the piercing eleas by screws 2, to be attached to a support 3. The base portion 1 has wing members 4 extending therefrom, these members being substantially at right-angles to the base portion and arranged, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, to extend away from an edge 5 of the support 3 to which the base portion is attached. The wings 4 are provided with aligned holes each to receive journal screw 6, the

threaded ends of the screws being screwed into aligned holes 7, one of which is shown in FIGURE 2, of canstepped inner faces 20 and the can is then slid into the groove 23 so that the end seam is located therein, thus permitting the operator to rock the can together with the member 8 upwards towards and into engagement with the piercing element 9 so that the can end becomesv punctured by the piercing element as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6. The operator then rocks the canreceiving member 8 to the biased position thereof, slides the can out of the can-receiving member, and pours the contents of the opened can into a glass or other vessel which is to receive the contents.

Referring to FIGURES 7 and 8, the device therein illustrated in similar to that described with reference to FIGURES l to 6 but the piercing element 9 is not adjustable relative to the axis about which the can-receiving member 8 is rockable, and the screws 6 are passed through spacer sleeves 26, FIGURE 8, which are freely housed in holes formed in the wing members 4. It will, however, be understood that, if desired, the screws 6 may be journal screws and the sleeves 26 dispensed with.

Further, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8, the weights 25 are dispensed with and biasing of the can-receiving member 3 is effected by so proportioning the section of the limbs 19 relative to the common axis of screws 6 that the member, when released, will swing back to the datum position thereof.

In the foregoing description the device has been described as operated by hand but it will be understood that, if desired, the can-receiving member 8 may be connected with a pedal-operated linkage whereby it can be foot-operated.

I claim:

1. A device for perforating an end of a can to permit the contents to be poured therefrom, comprising a bracket arranged for attachment to a support for the device, a U-shaped can-receiving member pivoted to the bracket and so biassed that the limbs thereof normally slope downwards away from the pivotal axis to a datum position in which the base of the member is uppermost, the base of said member having a groove to engage around an end seam of a can to be punctured and the limbs of the member being of L-section providing unobstructed upwardly facing stepped surfaces to engage only the underside of the end seam of the can and to guide it into said groove for location thereby during rocking of said member away from said datum position, and a piercing element having three sloping faces of which two converge to form an edge which extends lengthwise of the element and the third is of triangular shape with the apex thereof co-incident with the outer end of said edge, said piercing element being secured to the bracket between the limbs of said member with said third sloping face thereof remote from the base of said member and so located that on rocking of the member from the datum position thereof with a can end located against the base of the member said third face on initial piercing of the can enters the can end at a position closely adjacent to the rim portion of the can end opposite the portion thereof which is engaged with the base of said member.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein biassing of said member is effected by weights located adjacent to the free ends of the limbs.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein biassing of said member is effected by proportioning of the limbs relative to the pivot, for the member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,272,204 Hothersall Feb. 10, 1942 2,532,553 Johnson Dec. 5, 1950 2,616,166 Inch Nov. 4, 1952 

